California Briefing / Los Angeles County

H1N1 flu nasal spray, vaccines start arriving

Now that the H1N1 flu nasal spray and vaccine are starting to arrive in Los Angeles County, public health officials are urging those most at risk to contact providers.

Those most at risk include parents and caregivers of babies under 6 months old; people ages 6 months to 24 years; people ages 25 to 64 with underlying medical conditions; pregnant women; and healthcare workers. Children ages 6 months to 2 years cannot receive FluMist and must be vaccinated, officials said.

The H1N1 flu has caused more than 2,700 hospitalizations and 206 deaths in California since April, including 57 deaths and 128 admissions to intensive care units in L.A. County, officials said.

Although the number of deaths and hospitalizations because of H1N1 has decreased statewide in recent weeks, more people are showing flu-like symptoms and the number of serious cases is expected to rise as the flu season progresses, officials said.

The Orange County Health Care Agency received 9,400 doses of FluMist and is distributing them to private providers.